Food & Drink

Updated: CommonWealth Closed Indefinitely Due to Fire

This just in, straight from the Department of Bad Timing: CommonWealth — which I visited, loved, and wrote about in this week's bar column — was apparently the victim of a nasty-sounding fire earlier today, rendering it closed for the time being (though, fortunately, it doesn't appear that there were any injuries). Per Bay City News, via CBS5:

Patrons in the CommonWealth Cafe ... heard a loud popping sound this afternoon, but did not report the fire until nearly an hour later, shortly after 2:30 p.m., when they began to smell smoke, said Battalion Chief Emon Usher. An employee investigated and discovered fire in a storage space between the first and second floors. Firefighters had to open up walls and ceilings to reach the fire, which appeared to have been burning for quite some time .... The cafe shut down, in part because power to the building has been shut down .... Usher said damage was likely to be more than $100,000.

Yeesh. The pub's phone line is, understandably, busy, but we'll keep you posted.

Update, 7/9: CommonWealth will be closed until further notice, according to sign posted in its window (and reposted on Facebook).